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Military Action

Shelling of Ellwood — Japanese submarine attacks California oil field

On February 23, 1942, Japanese submarine I-17 surfaced off the California coast and shelled the Ellwood oil field near Santa Barbara, causing minor property damage and no fatalities.

The attack was the first shelling of the U.S. mainland in World War II, heightened West Coast fears, prompted blackouts and increased coastal defenses, and helped spur public anxiety that shaped wartime domestic measures.

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